Ball-return mechanism for bowling-alleys.



PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

P, W. BRINKMBYER. BALL RETURN MECHANISM FOR BOWLING ALLEYS.

APPLIGATIOH FILED MAB.25, 1905.

Witness once with my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

rnnnnicn WM. BRINKMEYER, or nncs'rcn, ILLINOIS.

BALL-RETURN MEC-HANlSM FQR BOWLlNG-ALLEYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Jan. 2, 1906.

Original application filed November 17, 1904, Serial H0. 233,188. Divided and this application filed March 25,1905. Serial No.

To all ruhont it inlay concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRIOK WM. BRINK- MEYER, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of" Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ball-Return Mechanism for Bowling-Alleys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hell-return mechanism for howlingnllcys, and the present application is a. division of my former op lication filed November 1?, 190-1, Seria Non The object of the invention is to provide simple and efl'ectivc means whereby the attendant or any of the players at the players end of the alley may elevate the balls to the rear or chute end of the ball-runway, so that the balls may return by gravity to the players end.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a. view in side elevation of a ball-retu rn mechanism constructed in accord- Fig. 2 is a top lan view of the some. Fig. 3 is a longitu incl section of the endless conveyor for lifting the balls from the pit to the runway.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 re resents the floor or playingsurlace of a bow ing-elley, which, except as hereinafter noted, may be of ordinary construction, and 2 is the runway or conductor for the balls, provided at its rear end with an inclined chute 3 and at its for ward end with in gallery or receptacle 4, adapted to receive and retain the balls in convenient position for use at the front or players end of the alloy.

The floor of the alley in rear of the point 5, where the pins are set up, slants or inclines downwardly or rearwsrdly to provide a. chute-hoard or portion 6, down which the balls, passing the point 5, roll to a pit 7, dis posed in rear of t 1e alley, which pit has its bottom wall inclining downwardly from one side to the other in a direction transverse of the alley and leading at its deliver end into a pocket 8, arranged at one side 0 the alley.

Each ball 9, conducted into the pocket 8, is conveyed to the chute 3 by means of an endless conveyor-belt 10, mounted for movement on belt-wheels 11 and 12, mounted on porting-frame for the. conveyor, which extends or inclines at anupwerd and forward angle from the rear portion of the pocket 8 to a point immediately above and in rear of the upper end of the chute 3. The belt is prov1 ed at suitable intervals with pockets or cups 18 to take up the balls from the pocket 8 and convey the same to the top of the chute 3, from which they travel by gravity to the horizontal central ortion of the runway 2 and thence ascend t on 11 their acquired velocity or momentum to t e gallery 4.

On the upper shaft 13 of the conveyor is a belt-wheel 19, which is adopted to receive motion from a. belt 20, passing at its forward end around a, driving pulle 21, journaled upon a post or standard 22, isposed alongside the gsllery 4, said pulley 21 being provided with an operatingcrsnl 23, by which the belt ma be driven to operate the conveyer 10. y operating the crank 23 the conveyor 10 may be set in motion whenever desired to lift the played balls from the pocket 8 to the chute 3, on which the balls, as stated, travel by gravity to the gallery 4. This op eration may be performed by an attendant or any of the players at the front or players end of the alley, thus obviating the necessity of emplo g an attendant at the rear of the clle r to cl gosit the balls on the chute 3.

evin thus fully described the invention, what is c aimed as new is I. A bowling-alley having a bell-runwsy provided at its rear end with a chute and at its forward end with a. gallery or receiving portion, the rear end of the alley bein provided with a. downwardly and laterally inclined chute, an endless conveyor inclined upwardly and forwardly from the chute to the ball-runway and provided with pockets or cups to gather the balls from said chute and transfer them to the runway-chute, and means for operating said conveyor from a point adjacent to the gallery or receiving portion.

2. A bowling-alley having c ball-runway provided at its inner end with an inclined oqw .t0 and at its forward end with a gallery or receiving portion, the rem end of the alley being provided {it one side thereof with a hall-receiving pocket illl(l u downwardly and laterally inclined chute lending to said pocket, an inclined support leading from the pocket to :1 point adja cent the chute portion of the runway, :i correspondinglydnclined endless eonveyer mounted on said support and provided with pockets or cups to gather the balls from said reeeivingq oeket and eonduct the same to the chute of the runway, and means for operating said conveyor from a point adjacent to the gallery or receiving portion of the ball-runway In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREURICK WM. BRINKMEYER.

Witnesses:

W. C.'DI1\IOCI(, HIRAM JonNsoN. 

